Below, you will find tutorials on how to complete various tasks on the course website:
How to subscribe to an RSS Feed
How to write a post
How to upload an image from your computer to a post
How to convert .avi video files from your Flip Video camcorder to .mp4 files
How to publish your video from FlipShare to Youtube
How to extract video files from the web
How to subscribe to an RSS Feed
An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is a technology that aggregates all the new content on a particular web page and sends them directly to your Mail application or an RSS aggregator of your choice such as Google Reader. One convenience of subscribing to an RSS feed is that you don’t have to repeatedly check a webpage to see if it’s been updated; instead, you are notified of new content directly in your Mail application or your Reader.
I have created an Announcements RSS feed and an Assignments RSS feed for our class. Important updates will be posted under the category “Announcements.” I strongly recommend that you subscribe to these feeds using your Mail application so that you are kept up to date on any changes. Here’s how:
1. Go to http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/weinroth2009/category/announcements/feed/
2. In the drop down menu after “Subscribe to feed using…”, click Choose Application > Mail.
3. Click Subscribe Now.
4. Open your Mail application and check to see that the Announcements RSS feed has been added.
To subscribe to the Assignments feed, go to http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/weinroth2009/category/assignments/feed/ and repeat steps 2-4.
Each week, you will be expected to submit at least one post in response to a question or discussion prompt provided by Professor Weinroth. Here are the steps to posting your response:
1. Log into Eportfolio
2. If you have several eportfolios, make sure you are on the Dashboard for “The Arts in New York City.”
3. On the left menubar, go to Posts > Add New
4. Give your post a title and type away!
5. CATEGORIZE: After you are finished, be sure to assign your post the appropriate category that is listed on the right. The category should correspond with the date the assignment was given and the topic. For example, your first assignment should be assigned the categories “9/3/2009” and “Historical Perspective.” Do NOT assign your own category; just choose from the selections available.
6. PUBLISH: Be sure to click “Publish” to see that your post can be seen on the website.
7. To see your post as it appears on the webpage, go to the Home page and click under the Categories in which you assigned your post.
How to upload an image from your computer to a post
1. Before writing your post, you will need to upload a picture to the Gallery.
2. On the left menubar at the bottom, go to Gallery > Add Gallery/Images
3. A gallery is the folder in which images are contained. You must upload your images into a specific gallery. To create a new gallery, type in the name you wish to assign to a folder in the textbox. You may also choose to upload your images to an existing category.
4. To upload images, go to Upload Images. Choose an image from your computer and click “Upload images.” Be sure to choose a gallery in which you want to upload your image.
Now that your image is uploaded, you are ready to insert it to your post.
5. On the left menubar, go to Posts > Add New
6. Make sure you are using the Visual Editor.
7. On the Writing Panel, click on the “Add NextGen Gallery” icon 
8. Click on the Picture tab and select the image you would like to include in your post.
9. You may either adjust the Width x Height, Effect and Float according to your preference or leave it as is.
10. Click Insert.
11. A line of code, representing the image, will appear in your Writing Panel. You can write your post above or below the code, depending on how you wish your post to appear.
12. Click Publish and check the webpage to see that your image and post are displayed correctly.
How to convert .avi video files from your Flip Video camcorder to .mp4 files
Your flipcam saves the footage you’ve captured as .avi files. However, since iMovie does not read .avi files, you will need to convert your .avi file to an .mp4 file if you want to edit it. While FlipShare, the software that comes with your flipcam, has a very, very basic editing function, you will likely want to use iMovie for more sophisticated projects.
The easiest way to convert .avi to .mp4 is to upload your .avi file on Youtube. If you don’t already have one, you will need to set up a Youtube account in order to be able to upload videos. Once you’ve uploaded it on Youtube, you will be able to download your video as an .mp4 file.
To download your .mp4 file, on Youtube, click the dropdown menu next to your username on the top left corner > My Videos. Of course, you can delete your video from Youtube after you’ve downloaded the .mp4 if you prefer. Remember, you will need to be logged in to do this and you can only download your own videos as .mp4. For instructions on how to extract and save .mp4 files uploaded by others, go here.
Publishing your video from FlipShare to Youtube
1. Before you begin, make sure you have a youtube account and are logged in
2. On Flipshare, select Share > Online > Youtube from the bottom menubar
3. Drag the videos you want to upload to Youtube and follow the instructions
4. Once the videos are uploaded, you will see the following message on the bottom left of your FlipShare menubar. Click “Return to Browser”
5. You will now be taken to the page where you can edit how your Youtube video will appear. Please give your video a title.
How to extract video files from the web
Firefox has an extension that enables you to extract and download video files from the web to your computer. Here’s how:
1. Open your Firefox browser
2. Download and install Download Helper at http://www.downloadhelper.net/
3. Once you’ve successfully installed the extension, you’ll see a three-ball icon to the left of your URL field. When there is a video file to be extracted, the icon will come into color and start moving.
When there is no video file, it will be grayed out.
4. Go to the webpage from which you’d like to extract a video file.
5. Click the dropdown button next to the icon > select the .mp4 file > Download
6. You will now have a .mp4 file that can be edited in iMovie
